Davis averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and five steals per outing in leading the Purple Hurricanes back to the state playoffs last season, and Curlee drained the nets for an average of 15.6 points with 2.3 steals and three rebounds per contest for the Eagles in 2011 as a shooting guard.
Both signed scholarships Thursday on the Rome campus of the college and will play with the Chargers, joining eight others in forming the team that will be coached by Phil Gaffney. GHC also has a Cartersville campus.
Other Chargers include Vantrail Commings, Douglas County High School; Damon Mitchell, Marietta High School; Femi Ojuolape, Lithia Springs High School; Matt Catanzano, Armuchee High School; Neil Shah, North Cobb High School; Rashon Dumas, Chattahoochee High School; DiMychael Ross, Allatoona High School; and Cody Washington, Allatoona High School.
"We've assembled what I believe will be a very solid team," Gaffney said. "But sports isn't our only focus. We are also committed to academics, and one of our goals is to retain and graduate or transfer all our players. So we'll be monitoring academic performance as well."
Former Cane star Davis hopes to make an impact at Georgia Highlands while continuing his basketball career at the next level.
"I am hoping to transfer later to a Division I school," Davis said. "This is a good opportunity for me. I also like it because it's close to home."
Davis, a 5-feet, 11-inch shooting guard his senior year, expects to contribute at that same position with Georgia Highland. He's played any number of positions throughout his career, from wing guard to small forward.
Davis, who weighs 154 pounds and played for Dennis Godfrey, said speed is a big part of his game. "I try to be quicker than my opponent and I used my quickness and jumping ability."
He said his academic plans are not set, although he would like one day to be a basketball coach. "I enjoy being around the game, and I like to teach others," he said.
Davis was named the Daily-Tribune News co-player of the year along with Greg Murphy of Woodland.
Curlee is returning to the game after a year away.
He'd attended some tryouts after graduating from Excel in 2011 but did not get the reaction he'd hoped for and began attending Georgia Highlands College on the Cartersville campus, where he has been pursuing a degree in business administration with plans to attend Kennesaw State University.
Curlee, who stands an even 6-feet tall and weighs 160, said he stayed in shape by playing pickup ball games, adding the year away also taught him how much he loved the game.
Curlee said when he learned Georgia Highlands was starting a basketball team, he contacted coach Gaffney and was accepted for a tryout on the Rome campus of the college several months ago.
"After I graduated I had a few tryouts but they didn't go so well," he said. "I felt I could play somewhere so I just stayed in shape and kept playing. I wanted another chance."
He said he is not sure if he's that much better now or if he just didn't put his best game forward at the 2011 tryouts.
"It may be that sometimes you are trying to show what you got and you try too hard," he said. "Going into the tryouts at Floyd, I felt if I showed better what I had ... they'd be a little interested. I went in knowing what I had to do ... what I'm capable of and trying not to overdo."
He said he put in a lot of hours in his sport the past year since leaving Excel, where he was coached by Gary Boulier Jr.
"I've been practicing every since I heard about the team. I can't say I've even taken a break. I've played as much as I can, stayed as shape as much as possible.
"After high school and not playing it at all, I realized how much I missed it and I wanted to give it one last run."
GHC's basketball season will open on Nov. 1. Georgia Highlands is part of the Georgia College Athletic Association of the National Junior College Athletics Association.